We expected this would clear the Judiciary Committee and shouldn't be surprised that it has. We have been communicating with out Senate and House members to let them know our expectations for their vote on this in anticipation of it coming to a Senate vote.

We need to redouble our efforts though emails, phone calls, paper letters, and personal visits to their local offices as well as any opportunity to visit them in D.C. so they fully understand that nothing in this piece of legislation is acceptable to their constituents.

Please include your House members as well as the House Judiciary Committee members since no piece of legislation becomes law without both a Senate and House vote passing it.

Look at the letters thread (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=689694) for ideas on what to send to them. Remember that the letters need to be brief and to the point. Identify the legislation as S150 as well as by name. Don't use vulgar, threatening, profane language. Many of our members have gotten supportive responses from their Senate and House members and those are ideal models to use for our letters to our Congresscritters.

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mljdeckard

March 14, 2013, 12:26 PM

Absolutely. Email them again.

Ryanxia

March 14, 2013, 12:54 PM

I just sent two more e-mails to my reps yesterday regarding the UBC but I'll send another one about the AWB.

sota

March 14, 2013, 01:28 PM

sent.

'course mine are menendez and lautenburg :broken:

my letter...

Dear Senator Lautenberg,

I'm writing today to urge you in the strongest possible fashion to denounce and vote against Senate Bill S.150 that has just passed out of committee today.

I consider myself a responsible gun owner, having educated myself in both the operation of my firearms and the laws which govern them. Legislation such as S.150 will do nothing to stop or deter actual crime, and in fact does nothing more than penalize law abiding, tax paying and voting citizens such as myself for the "crime" of exercising a Constitutionally guaranteed right.

I strongly oppose this and any legislation which would further restrict my right, guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to keep and bear arms. I encourage you to step outside of the Democratic party, denounce this bill for what it is, and demonstrate to the people of the state of New Jersey that you intend to uphold the oath you took upon becoming a Senator... "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

If you would like to discuss this or any other matters please feel free to contact me at any time.

Thank you.

hso

March 14, 2013, 01:29 PM

Instead of just saying "sent" it might be useful to include the letter you sent so others wanting to act on this information can borrow good ideas.

Jeff White

March 14, 2013, 02:33 PM

This is a good thing. Lets have a floor vote and get everyone on the record. Then we know who to target in 2014.

hso

March 14, 2013, 05:45 PM

Keep focused on course at hand and avoid drifting off into dead end side streets. Save those for other threads.

Trent

March 14, 2013, 05:57 PM

Is there any indication when this might hit the floor for a vote? A US Government Senate calendar, or something to that effect?

Trent

March 14, 2013, 05:59 PM

Also do we have a final "language" of the bill? The last I saw was when the leak happened earlier this year (January?) with the list of named weapons/etc.

(When I try to bring up the text on her site, it gives me a duplicate headers error and craps out.)

Twmaster

March 14, 2013, 06:13 PM

This is a good thing. Lets have a floor vote and get everyone on the record. Then we know who to target in 2014.
This. There will be no hiding from their vote. Hold them accountable. Vote the bums out next cycle.

USAF_Vet

March 14, 2013, 10:05 PM

One of my senators has decided not to run for re-election. He's only been a Senator since Michigan has been a state (Carl Levin is a dinosaur and longest serving senator in Michigan history) and has already stated his support for gun control. He is a lost cause since he has nothing to lose.

My other senator is another 0bama-phile, Debbie Stabenow. She just got re-elected thanks to her constituents in De-toilet. Another died in the wool party liner, she will do whatever she is told since she hasn't had a unique thought or idea in her entire political career.

I'll double my efforts in contacting my Representatives, just in case any of this crap clears the Senate. I closely follow two of them, Fred Upton (who is my rep) and Justin Amash (next county over, where I work), and I know how Amash stands but have to keep an eye on Upton. He's never stabbed the 2A in the back, but like Dylan crooned, times, they are a-changin'.

hso

March 15, 2013, 04:43 PM

We need to focus on action instead of ranting against this idiotic piece of legislation.

We already know it is bad and that it has an uphill battle in the Senate and that the House Judiciary Committee head has already said it won't get out of the committee there, BUT we can't take a chance on this thing making it through to risk signature. We also need to make sure that Sen. Feinstein doesn't get a clean vote passing it in the Senate. This is our opportunity to repudiate her and her postion by getting our Senators to reject this. If we can get a clear majority of Senators to say NO to this we can send a clear message that this sort of irrational, illogical, extremist Anti position is not acceptable.

Let's put the effort into meeting with our Senators or their staff, writing paper letters, sending emails and doing it all again and again so that your Senators know that no support for this bill is tolerable to us and that it would be costly for the party that supports it.

I'm blessed to live in a free state were this foolishness is laughed at and will have no support in Congress. However, I am still letting my reps and Senators know how I feel on this subject. I've even written to governors and legislators from other states to let them know how we the people feel.

It's time to step away from the forums and go make your voice heard. If you don't do this now you may never be heard as they take our rights away one cut at a time.

the iron horse

March 15, 2013, 06:01 PM

I'm glad it's heading to the Senate.

Let them do a up or down vote.

It's time we see where they stand.

hso

March 15, 2013, 11:54 PM

It's time we see where they stand.

NO, it's time we told them where to stand on this!

Don't be passive. Spend time, effort, and money to make certain your Senator understands you will spend all your disposable income rewarding or punishing them for their stance on this legislation. Tell them you know they are looking towards reelection and so are you. Promise to work for their reelection if they fight this legislation. Swear to them that you'll work against them in the primary and in the general election if they do support it. Remind them of the risk the Democratic party took in '94 and the price they paid for supporting the AWB. Point out that the punishment the party took will be nothing compared to what will happen in the '14, '16, and '18 elections if they support these bills restricting the rights of law abiding gun owners instead of addressing the root cause of violence and murder in the U.S.

Make at trip to their offices, write paper letters, send email, and attend all the rallys and marches you can.

pillage

March 16, 2013, 01:26 PM

I have been actively been blowing up everyone politicians inbox with my opinion like there is no tomorrow. I always end whatever I write with: "I will actively vote against any who support this measure in any elections. I will also advocate voting against them with anyone I come in contact with. "( Most of us do the last thing anyway, but I make a point in reminding our leaders of this fact every chance I get.)

sota

March 16, 2013, 01:47 PM

Vistaprint...

http://misc.pcsi.ws/browse/signs/_TESTING_.jpg

I had 12 signs with different notes on them made up in large. $10/sign (find the 50% discount url... it's out there) with stands and 3 day shipping (because I wanted them NOW!)... came to $175 I think. it's worth it. signs, t-shirts, bumper stickers, posters, banners (crap! forgot about that last one! I could put it on my roof for the newark inbound/outbound planes to see!), all are actually pretty reasonable. I had those biz cards made up too to hand out to people I talk to and vet for a free range trip...

http://misc.pcsi.ws/browse/RangeCard.png

In case anyone was wondering, said range time includes the use of MY ammo and MY firearm(s)... so I'm putting my money where my mouth is to get people to see firearms and the people in general that own them are good, normal, ordinary citizens.

The point is... do something.

edit: in case anyone is interested or wants more ideas, here's the 12 I had made up. note the 'tag lines' at the bottom are old. the graphic I posted here has the tag lines used on all of them at the time of printing. i'm just too lazy to go re-grab them again at this point.
http://misc.pcsi.ws/browse/signs/signs.htm

Liberty1776

March 16, 2013, 02:50 PM

sota - good letter. (may I borrow most of it?) I will send, tho my Senators are Franken (he wasn't a good comedian, either) and Klobuchar... however, Franken is waffling but I have no doubt which way his vote will go in the end. But they will hear from me...

hi-tower

March 16, 2013, 04:39 PM

Liberty - Not sure about you but I have never gotten anything back from Franken or Klobuchar except the same crap form letter they send to everyone. I will stil send them letters but we need to worry about the state laws also as they rammed through a bunch of junk this past week when I was out of state.

sota

March 16, 2013, 06:50 PM

Liberty: yep. I posted it so others could use/borrow/mangle it. :)

sota

March 16, 2013, 06:53 PM

we all have our idiot leaders.
Menendez thinks NJ citizens can get carry permits. Apparently the fool never bothered to read the statues... we're MAY ISSUE... which in practicality means NO ISSUE.

Personally I'd love to see a 100,000 person protest march on the capital while open carrying in full defiance of that unconstitutional law. I'd have to attend that one.

HighExpert

March 17, 2013, 12:39 AM

I really kind of hope that the senate passes it and the house kills it. If the democrats go on record voting for it maybe we will get the same result as we got during the Clinton admin and end up with a Republican senate and house to shut Zero down.

Ryanxia

March 17, 2013, 09:51 AM

Yes..I could write to my senators from NY--but why bother???
One is a gun hater and the other used top be pro 2A but changed when she was appointed to the Senate.
It's still important to write them. They need to be reminded that there is still a strong voice out there in opposition of gun control. If everyone just gives up and leaves them alone when they are clearly violating their Constitutional Oath then more and more will do it because there is no one to answer to.

hso

March 17, 2013, 01:34 PM

For those members that choose to engage in negativism, please review the rules for Activism.

Trent

March 17, 2013, 03:23 PM

Not trying to be negative, just wanted to share IL rep Dick Durbin is a no-go. I've tried writing, and e-mail, and phone calls, but keep getting back the same "I'm throwing you under the bus" type of response.

HSO; any ideas on what we could do to change that attitude? Or is he just a lost cause?

Jeff White

March 17, 2013, 06:03 PM

any ideas on what we could do to change that attitude? Or is he just a lost cause?

You can't change Durbin's attitude. The man hasn't had an original thought in his entire life. He lied to me to my face when he was my congressman during the run up to the 94 AWB and then when I called him on it he had the nerve to tell me I must have not remembered our meeting correctly.

The only thing we can do is somehow run him out of office.

mljdeckard

March 17, 2013, 06:10 PM

I trust Jeff's memory completely on this one. Of course we all should do our due dilligence here, but at the same time, there are some lawmakers for whom it is a token effort, and they are never changing their minds.

1SOW

March 17, 2013, 10:20 PM

I'm glad it's heading to the Senate.

Let them do a up or down vote.

It's time we see where they stand.

NO. "THEY represent "US". Politely reminding them of that along with asking for his/her vote to defeat this weapons ban, is what "WE" need to do.

"WE" do have a pretty loud voice if "WE" all use it and not stand idly by waiting for an outcome.

The same thing happened in the election---a low percentage turnout at a critical time.

r1derbike

March 17, 2013, 10:39 PM

I would like nothing better than to help vote out Republican or Democrat proponents of these bills. It would be the right thing to do. It will be done.

I apologized to my wife today, for being obsessed with writing all my representatives in the state and inside the beltway, the last couple of weeks.

It has taken-away our usual evening quality time, and I do it during the day while she is at work.

Her answer? Honey, it's what you believe in. I may be without you for a bit, but this crusade needs seen to fruition, if possible. What a trooper!

I have my suspicions that she's been so tolerant as we're going to the range tomorrow to rent several sidearms, and I'm buying the one she is comfortable with, for her own protection...if and when my LGSs around here have any in stock.

leprechaun50

March 18, 2013, 10:53 PM

This is what I get when sending to Al Franken's official contact address.
Oops!

The page you requested could not be found. Please make sure you have the correct url and try again.

I have sent e-mails to the same address before and it has worked. I wonder if he has had it shut down as this is his official Minnesota senate e-mail address.

hso

March 18, 2013, 11:24 PM

We can't. For a hard core Anti they need a personal experience that shatters their world view to change their minds. Short of being personally saved from a terrifying threat of certain death by one of us using the very firearms he'd ban we can't break the mindset.

RPRNY

March 19, 2013, 12:24 AM

To those who want this legislation voted on so "we can see where they stand " I would note that NRA - ILNA has done the analysis and can tell you where every member of Congress stands. We do NOT want a vote.

Killed in Committee, death by procedure, fillibustered out of existence are all better by far than the risk of a vote. Bad hair day, bare quorum, the midnight run are all risks on a floor vote. We get down to five votes and suddenly five districts are getting promises of Multimillion dollar investments and hundreds of jobs created courtesy of Bloomberg Industries if they will just vote "present ", suddenly Air Force bases and Navy installations may have to be shut down in those districts if they oppose the Bill. The junior member from the State of "you ain't taking our guns away " may find that the Justice Dept is deeply interested in investigating new allegations of campaign finance fraud and the Peoria Daily Bugle suddenly has a line on photos of him and his frat brothers engaged in carnal knowledge with Rambo, their college teams goat mascot.

I would like nothing better than to help vote out Republican or Democrat proponents of these bills.
According to the NRA, every single Senator who voted in favor of the ban was a Democrat, and every single Senator who voted against it was a Republican.

Some people still argue that this isn't a liberal vs conservative issue, but this seems to disprove that - among our representatives, at least.

In other words, if you consider yourself to be liberal on many issues, but happen to be a 2A supporter, don't assume your representatives share your beliefs when it comes time to vote them in or out. You'll likely be forced to side with the lesser of two evils - whichever evil you choose to support is up to you.

kwguy

March 19, 2013, 07:44 AM

I agree with RPRNY. We really do not want a vote. It does NOT DESERVE a vote. It is so obviously against the constitution, that putting it up for a vote is insulting. It deserves to be killed in committee.

I know that no one here would agree that introducing slavery as a means of economic gain would ever deserve a vote, let alone any type of serious discussion. Why? Because it's so obviously in contravention to our constitution. It's the same for this AWB. Some things do not even deserve to see the light of day. This crap legislation is one of those things.

RPRNY

March 19, 2013, 12:00 PM

Some people still argue that this isn't a liberal vs conservative issue, but this seems to disprove that - among our representatives, at least.

I think there are a handful of Dems at least in the House that wouldn't have supported Feinstein's Bill and there are a number of Republicans in both House and Senate who cannot be counted on to vote against even an AWB. Let's not forget that Cuomo's "SAFE" Act was rammed through the NYS with OVERWHELMING Bi-Partisan support and that if the Republicans had held firm against, there were enough Dems prepared to vote against it to have stopped it.

But, I think we have to reframe this "national discussion". First of all, based on population centers and the recent Presidential election, allowing this to continue as a Democrat vs Republican debate is a loss for citizens' RKBA. The issue is a Liberal and Conservative vs an Illiberal one.

I know that no one here would agree that introducing slavery as a means of economic gain would ever deserve a vote, let alone any type of serious discussion. Why? Because it's so obviously in contravention to our constitution. It's the same for this AWB.

This is good thinking.

The Democratic leadership are no longer even Liberal. The current debate over 2A rights is not solely about RKBA. There is a much larger issue at stake and the more we point this out to real Liberals, rather than the Neo-Libs that have hijacked the Democratic Party, the less and less comfortable they are going to be with "their" Party, just as many Conservatives have been deeply disappointed by the Republicans.

We have an Administration and Democratic Leadership that has betrayed its Liberal supporters time and time again. This Administration has the worst record on Freedom of Information Act disclosures since the law was enacted. The Democratic leadership has not only embraced the violation of Civil Liberties in the Patriot Act, it has extended and broadened them in violation of the 4th Amendment. This Administration, with the approval of the Democratic leadership, is responsible for the increasing militarization of law enforcement organizations and a massive growth in their numbers. This Administration has denied US citizens abroad their 5th Amendment rights and illegally executed US citizens without due process. Eric Holder, the Attorney General, even after grudgingly answering Sen. Rand Paul that the President could not deny US citizens in the US their 5th Amendment rights and execute those he deemed "at war" with the US on US soil, continues to assert that the President can do so if he deems them "combatants". Not "if a Grand Jury deems them combatants", not "if they are found guilty by a jury oof their peers". If the President deems them so, they may be executed on US soil without due process. That means that anyone the President deems "at war" with the US. Tomorrow that could mean people who refuse to obey unconstitutional laws. In a future Administration it could mean groups of ethnic minorities who believe they are singled out by LEOs and are assembled to protest their treatment...

The fight over RKBA is only part of a broader effort by the political elites of both parties (the latest President Bush and his Congressional allies were a party to much of this as well) to increase the power of a Central Government and to diminish both States' rights and individual rights. Mandated Obamacare is very much an issue of enhancing and empowering a Central Government (we call it Federal, but that term lost meaning a long time ago) at the expense of States' rights.

Real Liberals may be tax and spend crazies and may still believe that Big Government social engineering is good for Americans, but they are also deeply concerned about civil and individual liberties. If we can successfully frame the "national discussion" around the systematic diminution of civil liberties and individual rights, of which the assault on RKBA is just one part, there are many Liberals (not the Neo-Libs who are in fact Etatist Socialists) - and importantly many Liberal jurists and Judges - who will be able to see the issue form the perspective of pro2A activists. The problem is that if this is framed as Republican vs Democrat, we lose because there are many Republicans who have shown themselves no great friends of Civil Liberties and guilty of their own infringements of the Constitution. If we believe that RKBA is protected by the Constitution and that politicians must respect the Constitution, then we have to embrace the entire Constitution. That's going to be a problem for many Conservatives who aren't very comfortable with the separation of Church and State, for example. (Nevertheless, when in doubt, be aware that the vast and overwhelming majority of Dems will vote for stringent gun control in a heartbeat whereas even the most lily-livered Republican can often be scared into voting against it, at least West of the Hudson...)

In any event, the point is RKBA is a broader Civil Liberty issue and real Liberals should be equallly concerned. If I had the money, my advertising campaign might include things like:

==============================
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." First Amendment to the US Constitution (The Bill of Rights)

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Second Amendment to the US Constitution (Bill of Rights)

Is either of these restrictions on law-makers hard to understand? Dianne Feinstein can't seem to understand the Second. Let's hope she never gets her hands on the First...or the Thirteenth.
=====================

Bartholomew Roberts

March 19, 2013, 12:18 PM

Please don't get complacent. What happened is Feinstein was told that her AWB (S. 150) will not be part of the "base gun control bill" offered by Dems. This means that the bill that gets a floor vote will not have AWB language in it. However, Feinstein can still offer her bill as an amendment to this bill (or any other gun bill) and if she has the votes (50 or 60 depending on the procedural tactics used) it will become part of whatever bill she tries to attach it to.

The reason they did this is because the Dem leadership really wants registration and they are afraid that putting the AWB in the base bill will kill all of their gun control - and cause them to lose Senate races in 2014.

The game here is with the AWB separate, your not-so-Second-Amendment-friendly Senators can tell you in 2014: "I support the Second Amendment and voted against gun and magazine bans; however I continue to support reasonable, common-sense gun laws like (having you stupid hillbillies tell me what guns and magazines you own so that after I'm re-elected I can fix that) universal background checks."

wbrown609

March 19, 2013, 08:54 PM

If I am not mistaken the magazine ban is still in there. They have just dip one away with the "assault weapon" ban in the bill. This is a way to get even more votes for the magazine ban.

hso

March 19, 2013, 09:11 PM

Reid has killed S150 so this thread doesn't have a basis for continuing.

We will watch closely what sort of deals are made to introduce it or parts of it into other legislation as amendments that can sneak in unrecognized.

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